


Shy Girls

by grelleswife



Category: Kuroshitsuji | Black Butler
Genre: Bard plays matchmaker, F/F, First Kiss, First Love, Lesbian Paula, Mutual Pining, a vastly underrated ship, bisexual Mey Rin, seriously these girls are so soft, soft girls
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-02
Updated: 2020-02-02
Packaged: 2021-02-28 04:47:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,960
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22517974
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/grelleswife/pseuds/grelleswife
Summary: Mey Rin is shy. So is Paula. When mutual attraction begins to develop, whatever shall they do?
Relationships: Mey Rin/Paula (Kuroshitsuji)
Comments: 21
Kudos: 12





	Shy Girls

Mey Rin tottered down the hallway as the pile of laundry stacked in her arms listed dangerously to the right. Oh no! She mustn’t let it topple, no she mustn’t! Mr. Sebastian would be _furious_. Since Miss Elizabeth was paying the young master a visit today and should be here any minute, the butler had warned all the servants to be on their best behavior. The prospect of Sebastian’s wrath made Mey Rin shake in her stockings. Maybe her nerves were to blame, but her vision blurred more than usual. How awful! If she didn’t watch out—

Just at that moment, her foot caught on a wrinkle in the carpet. “WAAAA!” the maid wailed as she tumbled to the floor, linens strewn about her in disarray. Then she looked up, and her heart sank to her stomach. Staring down at her in disgust were none other than the young master and Mr. Sebastian! And Miss Elizabeth and her maid were with them, to boot! Mey Rin’s face burned. She prayed that this was a bad dream, or that the earth would magically swallow her up. Alas, everything stayed put, and her current predicament remained quite real.

“I…I’m so sorry, so sorry, young master, y-yes I am!” she squeaked out at last, trembling from head to toe.

“Honestly, Mey Rin, look what you’ve done. Now the linens are soiled. You’ll need to wash them again immediately,” Mr. Sebastian tutted in displeasure.

Mey Rin fought back tears. Crying in front of everyone would be the ultimate humiliation. They probably all thought she was hopelessly stupid, yes they did…

“Let me help,” a sweet, soft voice offered. Mey Rin gawped while Miss Elizabeth’s maid (she couldn’t remember her name for the life of her) knelt down and started gathering up the laundry. She was so _pretty_ , with long, honey-brown hair and warm hazel eyes. And, well…she had a nice figure, too. Very nice. If possible, Mey Rin’s face got hotter still, and only Sebastian’s double-barreled glare roused her from her reverie.

“Th-that’s very kind of you, b-but I don’t want to cause you no trouble, Miss—”

“Paula,” the young woman smiled. “And it’s not any trouble.”

She carefully helped Mey Rin restack the linens and deposited them in her arms, though the maid almost dropped them again when Paula’s hand brushed against hers. The touch sent a little spark through her.

“Thank you so so _so_ much!” she squeaked out. Paula was prettier than an angel, yes she was! Mey Rin could feel her poor heart pounding away in her chest. She felt that she should say something else, but how could she when she was looking into those gentle eyes?

“My pleasure,” Paula stuttered. To Mey Rin’s surprise, she bit her lower lip and looked off to the side, clasping her hands in front of her bashfully. But why? _She_ certainly didn’t have anything to be ashamed of.

“You may go, Mey Rin,” Sebastian said in frigid tones. One baleful arch of his eyebrow was all it took to send the maid scurrying away.

Mey Rin thought about Paula the rest of that day, though she didn’t see her again before Miss Elizabeth left. It kept tripping her up. She’d be doing the washing or cleaning the stairwell, but then Paula’s face would appear in her mind, causing her hands to dither uselessly. Bard noted that she seemed “kinda out of it” at dinner. Mey Rin fibbed, claiming she was tired when she was actually daydreaming about the lovely maid.

She hoped that this silliness would be gone when she woke the next morning. If anything, however, it got _worse_! Mey Rin might have had better luck herding cats. Sooner or later, her treacherous thoughts inevitably returned to Paula’s sweet smile. She started keeping track of how long it had been since Miss Elizabeth’s visit, something she’d never done previously. Mey Rin finally screwed up her courage to ask Mr. Sebastian when the young master’s fiancée might stop by again. Sebastian brushed her off, saying that Miss Elizabeth was prone to do these sorts of things on a whim. As he turned away, the butler muttered something about “foolish mortals in love.” What could he mean by that?

One cheerful, sunny morning, Mey Rin’s secret wish came true. Miss Elizabeth swept through the manor like a gale, declaring that it was the perfect day for a picnic…and she had Paula in tow! Mey Rin feared she’d burst with excitement, especially when Bard invited Paula to join the Phantomhive servants. Paula even sat _right next_ to her. Mey Rin desperately wanted to talk to her about…anything, really, but she kept getting so nervous that the words stuck in her throat. A couple of times, Paula looked like she was on the verge of speaking to her, only to turn pink and concentrate on her food with unusual intensity. That didn’t stop Mey Rin from being keenly aware of Paula’s presence, to the point that it _hurt_. How close their thighs came to touching as they sat side-by-side on the blanket. That glossy hair streaming from beneath her smart, beribboned hat (it looked soft as a dream. Perfect for petting). The way she glanced up and smiled at the fluffy clouds that the wind swept across the sky. Paula’s smile reminded her of candlelight, or a fire at the hearth. It glimmered, bringing warmth and comfort. Bard’s gaze drifted over to the two of them, thoughtful-like, but he didn’t say anything.

When they returned to the manor, and Miss Elizabeth was on the verge of departure, Bard rushed back outside. Claimed he’d forgotten something in the carriage. However, he came back empty-handed, albeit with a smug expression. And Bard hadn’t been riding with Miss Elizabeth and Paula to the picnic site in the first place, so how could he have left something in their carriage? What was it all about? Mey Rin decided not to press the issue and had soon pushed it to the back of her mind. The same could not be said of Paula, who wandered through her musings day in and day out. Mey Rin didn’t know what to make of it!

* * *

Three weeks later, Paula stood in front of the Phantomhive manor. Her mouth was dry as a desert, and a package wrapped in brown paper was clutched between her trembling hands. Had she made a terrible mistake? For a minute, she considered turning tail and running after the carriage that had dropped her off outside the gates. Bard’s encouraging words echoed in her mind. _There ain’t no need t’ be shy, Paula. Mey Rin’d like t’ know yer better, I think_. And Paula desperately wanted to get to know Mey Rin. She was the _sweetest_ thing! Who cared if she was clumsy? She had a kind heart and a sunny disposition, which were far more important in Paula’s estimation. The maid also happened to be alarmingly pretty, though Paula tried not to dwell on that, however much Mey Rin made her heart flutter. Paula had long since accepted that she felt about other women the way society claimed she ought to feel about men, but Mey Rin probably didn’t walk that path. Still, they could at least be friends…if only Paula worked up the courage to speak to her properly!

Taking a deep breath, she reached out and knocked on the door before she had a chance to change her mind. Bard had suggested she come at this particular time because Mr. Sebastian would be away for a few hours, which meant the rest of the household could go about their business without fearing his reproachful eye. The door promptly swung open to reveal the cook, who crossed his arms and grinned.

“Glad t’ see ye! Mey Rin’s in the kitchen; I told ‘er there’d be a serprise comin’ soon.”

“Oh! Y-you didn’t tell her I’m paying a call?”

“’f I did, she’d get such a bee in ‘er bonnet that she’d send ‘erself into a panic. Mighty taken with yer, she is.”

Paula’s jaw dropped, and her mind went completely blank. Mey Rin taken with _her_? Seeing Bard’s pointed expression, she quickly recovered her composure and followed the cook through the manor’s winding hallways until they arrived at the kitchen.

Bard flung open the door with a mischievous grin. “Serprise!” he bellowed. Mey Rin had been sitting atop one of the tables, kicking her legs idly. As soon as her eyes met Paula’s, she squeaked and nearly toppled off before catching her balance. So _cute_!!!

Bard winked. “I’ll leave yer to it.” Before either woman could say anything, he strolled out, and they were alone together.

“Paula! I-it’s lovely to see you, yes it is!” Mey Rin said. Her eyes shone, but Paula noticed that her hands clutched her skirts for dear life, and she was shaking slightly.

“I’m sorry for dropping in out of the blue like this, but I…um…ah…I—my hope is that we can become better acquainted, seeing as how we’re both maids and, well, neither really has any companions our own age, and…um…I wanted to make you a little something. Er, i-it’s not much, but…I thought it might be useful when the w-weather turns colder, and….Ihopeyoulikeit.” The last words came out in a nigh-incomprehensible babble, and Paula’s face flushed as she presented the package to Mey Rin.

“Y-you made somethin’ for _me_?” Mey Rin’s cheeks glowed red. Paula just nodded, too overcome with mortification at her own awkwardness to say anything further. Mey Rin hesitantly took the gift. She carefully unwrapped it and gasped when she held up the fluffy red scarf that Paula had knitted. She’d tried to pick a yarn that would complement her hair, and it looked like she chose the right color! That had been just one of her worries while making it—of course, the biggest concern was whether it would suit Mey Rin’s fancy…

Were those tears in Mey Rin’s eyes? Oh no! Paula’s chest constricted in panic.

“Uh… if you don’t like it, y-you don’t have to keep it—”

Mey Rin almost pounced on her, wrapping Paula in a hug that placed her ribcage in considerable jeopardy.

“I love it, yes I do!!!” she squealed. “It’s so pretty, it is, and must’ve taken hours an’ _hours_ to make! An’ it’s really for _me_?!”

A golden glow sprang to life in Paula’s chest and spread through her whole body like sunlight streaming into a room. She didn’t know what to do. Paula couldn’t string a thought together while in Mey Rin’s arms.

“It’s…all yours,” she whispered. The maid was soft and cuddly, and Paula couldn’t help but return the hug, throwing her arms around Mey Rin so that they were pressed closer together. Very, very close. It was easy to pull back slightly to get a better look at the beautiful and thoroughly flustered Mey Rin. Easier still to lean in and bestow a gentle kiss on those perfect lips.

And Mey Rin kissed her back. They were both a little clumsy and painfully shy, but neither wished to break this contact. Being together this way felt perfectly natural, like they were two petals joined to the same flower.

“When you said you wanted to b’come better acquaintances…did you mean jus’ friends?” Mey Rin asked softly.

Paula blushed. Since the cat was out of the bag, there was no point in hiding her true feelings.

“No, dear. I’d… I’d like to be more, if …if you…”

Mey Rin’s radiant smile rendered her speechless. Without saying a word, she responded with a kiss of her own, and that was all the answer Paula needed.


End file.
